Dirk Pitt and the NUMA crew are back to save the world in the Cussler (Clive and son Dirk) family's latest adventure, "Poseidon's Arrow."

The government has secretly created a submarine capable of moving through the water at over 100 miles an hour. Stocked with advanced weaponry and almost stealthlike abilities, this new submarine will dominate the seas.

Then the prototype is stolen and the inventor is found dead.

Pitt and his wife are enjoying a sailboat cruise when a freighter crashes into them. They barely escape, and soon discover the crew of the freighter that slammed into them is nowhere to be found. Pitt and his team have to once again save the day because it appears that a traitor high up in government wants to thwart their every move.

Cussler fans know what to expect when they pick up one of his novels — a rollicking adventure with much banter and derring-do.

The Dirk Pitt novels are the mainstay of Cussler's vast empire. The last few novels have been written with his son, and the stories have become more of a family affair with Dirk Pitt Sr. taking over NUMA and his son and daughter tackling the field investigations. Since he now has a desk job, it has become a bit of a stretch to keep him operating in the field.

The novels usually rely heavily on history, and this time it's more about the future of marine technology rather than a quest for a past artifact. The previous novels also had so much material it felt like reading three books in one package. Now the formula has become a bit bloated and padded.

However, Cussler fans will still grab this one. It's no "Inca Gold," but it's one of the better ones in the series written with Dirk Cussler.